Cellular magazine type card-vending machines



y 1957 SHIGEHARU MATSUDA ETAL 3,

CELLULAR MAGAZINE TYPE CARD-VENDING MACHINES Filed Aug. 17, 1965 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTORS ATTORNEY y 1967 SHIGEHARU MATSUDA ETAL 3,319,820

CELLULAR MAGAZINE TYPE CARD-VENDING MACHINES Filed Aug. 17, 1965 l fis @(Lp SW! SW! swg 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 V PRIOR ART F76. 9 FIG. /0

PRIOR ART INVENTORS BY PMQ Wk ATTORNEY United States Patent 3,319,820 CELLULAR MAGAZINE TYPE CARD-VENDING MACHINES Shigeharu Matsuda and Shozo Okawa, Tokyo, Japan, assignors to Hitachi, Ltd, Tokyo, Japan Filed Aug. 17, 1965, Ser. No. 480,369 Claims priority, application Japan, Jan. 27, 1965, 40/ 4,000 2 Claims. (CL 221--25) This invention relates to vending machines designed for sale of picture postcards or other type of cards or cardlike articles.

For customers, it is desirable that they can get through such vending machine any postcards desired one by one as freely selected on samples and that the postcards delivered by the machine are each wrapped with a transparent bag such as of a synthetic resin film, which apparently servesto protect the postcard from dust, moisture and other sources of contamination as well as from discoloration thereby to enhance the commodity value of the postcard. Heretofore, however, no appropriate means has been available for delivering cards in the wrapped form, piece by piece. The present invention has for its object to provide anovel card-vending machine which is designed to deliver cards in the manner described above.

A specific object of the present invention is to provide a card-vending machine of the character described which can deliver cards smoothly and piece by piece even if they are more; or-less curled or ifthe envelopes in which they are enclosed stick to each other due to electrostatic charges.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a card-vending machine of the character described which can deliver articles while effectively preventing detraction from their commodity value.

A further object of the present invention is to provide a card-vending machine of the character described which is simple in mechanical construction and can deliver articles with their envelopes cut in uniform size.

A still further object of the present invention is to provide acard-vending machine of the character described which includes electrical means for detection of each card deliveryand sellout or exhaustion of stock in the machine.

These and other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a schematic vertical cross-sectional elevation of a card-vending machine embodying the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a fragmentary plan view of a continuous ribbon-like string of envelopes in each of which one or more cards are sealed;

FIG. 3 is a front elevation, partly broken, of the carddelivering mechanism incorporated in the card-vending machine shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a plan view of same;

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional side elevation taken substantially along the line V-V in FIG. 3;

FIGS. 6A, 6B and 6C are views illustrating respective FIG. 10 illustrates another conventional form of carddelivering mechanism.

Referring first to FIG. 9 of the drawings, the carddelivering mechanism illustrated therein includes a card storage case or magazine 1 in which cards 7 are stacked and a pusher plate 3 which is reciprocable along the bottom surface of the magazine 1 to push forward the lowermost one of the cards stacked therein through a slit 2 formed in one side wall of the magazine during each advancing movement of the plate. The card thus pushed forward is immediately engaged by a pair of rollers 4, which deliver it exteriorly of the magazine 1. With this form of delivering mechanism, a danger is involved that cards when pushed forward may be obstructed and impaired by the adjacent edges of the slit 2 if they are curled or non-uniform in thickness. Another difificulty involved is that, in the case where cards are furnished sealed in envelopes such as formed of a synthetic resin film, the envelopes may stick to each other due to electrostatic charges usually formed thereon and card delivery is frequently prohibited.

Another conventional form of delivering mechanism, shown in FIG. 10, includes a sucking disc 5 connected to an evacuating pump, not shown. The disc 5 is operable between the solid-line position where it engages the uppermost one of the cards 7 stacked in the magazine l and the dotted-line position where the cards thus carried by the disc 5 is released to be delivered. This form of delivering mechanism is inevitably complicated in construction including a levelling device for maintaining the top surface of the card stack at a predetermined level and also involves the same difiiculty as encountered with the previously described mechanism of FIG. 9 that, in the case where cards are furnished sealed in envelopes such as formed of a synthetic resin film, the envelopes may stick to each other due to electrostatic charges usually formed thereon, causing misoperation of delivering two or more enveloped cards simultaneously.

According to the present invention, a high reliable card-vending machine is provided which is free from these deficiencies involved with previous forms of carddelivering mechanism and which is relatively simple in construction and operable to deliver envelopes one after another without impairing their contents, including a single card or a predetermined plural number of cards.

An important feature of the vending machine according to the present invention lies in the provision of an electrical control device which is operable to interrupt the machine operation started by insertion of a coin having a predetermined nominal value each time when an envelope with a card or cards sealed therein has been delivered and thus is effective to prevent any loss due to double-selling.

Another important feature of the vending machine of the present invention lies in the provision of an electrical control device which enables the machine to operate until all the articles accommodated therein havebeen delivered and gives an indication to inform the customer of the sold-out state'of the machine.

One embodiment of the present invention will now be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 8, inclusive.

Referring to FIG. 2, a continuous ribbon-like string of envelopes, indicated generally by numeral 6, includes perforations or other transverse weakened lines 8 for severance between the adjacent envelopes. Each of the envelopes has sealed therein a single card 7 or a predetermined plural number of cards and can be easily detached from the adjacent envelopes along the perforations 8. As will be readily understood, the ribbon-like string of envelopes is formed by placing two film sheets, for example, of polypropylene, polyethylene terephthalate or cellophane, in face-to-face relation with cards properly arranged therebetween, the sheets being stuck to each other in the areas surrounding each card or group of cards to form individual envelopes each having the card or card group sealed therein, and perforating the sheets transversely between each two adjacent envelopes, as illustrated at 8 in FIG. 2.

The string of envelopes 6 thus formed is folded back successively along the perforations 8 to form a stack of envelopes, which is then placed in a card storage or magazine 9, properly arranged in the machine casing 17. The envelopes thus accommodated in the magazine 9 can apparently be pulled out of the latter one after another upwardly from the top of the stack.

Two pairs of delivery rollers 10 and 11 are arranged one above the other between the magazine 9 and the sales or delivery aperture 18, formed in the top wall of the machine casing 17 and are vertically spaced apart from each other by a distance substantially corresponding to the length of the envelopes.

Referring next to FIGS. 3 to 5, which illustrate the delivering mechanism in detail, the upper pair of delivery rollers 10 are arranged adjacent to the card outlet of the mechanism and take the form of two rubberized rollers 10a and 10b differing in diameter from each other. The larger delivery roller 10a is carried by a shaft 20. supported on two spaced side plates of the frame 19 and connected at one end with the shaft of a drive motor M, which in turn is mounted on the adjacent side plate of the frame 19. The roller shaft 20 carries at the other end a sprocket wheel 12 for the purpose described below. The other or smaller roller 10b is rotatably mounted on a shaft 21 firmly secured to the frame 19.

The lower pair of delivery rollers 11, arranged adjacent to the inlet side of the delivering mechanism include two rubberized rollers 11a and 11b of substantially the same diameter as the smaller-diameter roller 10b described above. One of the lower rubberized rollers 11a is mounted on a shaft 22 rotatably supported by the frame 19. The shaft 22 carries at one end a sprocket wheel 13 which is the same in diameter as the above-described sprocket wheel 12 and a chain 24 is arranged over the two sprocket wheels 12 and 13 for the purpose of transmitting rotation of the drive shaft 20 to the shaft 22. The other roller 11b is rotatably mounted on an appropriate shaft 23 fixedly mounted on the frame 19 like the smaller-diameter roller 1% described hereinbefore.

The pairs of delivery rollers 10 and 11 are positioned so as to nip the ribbon of envelopes 6 therebetween under an appropriate pressure during its passage through the delivering mechanism. As will readily be understood, the upper and lower pairs of delivery rollers 10 and 11 are driven simultaneously by the drive motor M and the upper pair of rollers 10 have a peripheral speed substantially higher than that of the lower pair of rollers 11.

A guide 14 is arranged inside the frame 19 so as to partly embrace the ribbon of envelopes 6 when it is delivered by means of the pairs of rollers 10 and 11. Two microswitches SWa and SWb are secured to the frame 19 for detection of delivery of each envelope and sellout, respectively. As shown, one of the microswitches SWa is positioned adjacent to the inlet to the upper pair of delivery rollers 10 and the other microswitch SWb is positioned adjacent to the inlet to the lower pair of delivery rollers 11. The switches SWa and SWb include respective actuators 15a and 15b and have each a pair of contacts, one of which is closed when the actuator 15a or 15b is engaged by the envelope 6, the other contact being closed when the actuator is cleared from the envelope to restore. The switches serve the circuit-changing purpose, as described below in detail.

Referring next to FIGS. 6 and 7, the actuators 15a and 1517 are each looped as at 25 and loosely connected with each other by means of a connecting rod 16, which is formed at the opposite ends with engaging portions 26. The upper actuator 15a is freely movable between its operating and normal or restored positions irrespective of the position assumed by the lower actuator 15b, which is, however, arranged so as to be prevented from movement to its restored position by the connecting rod 16 as long as the upper actuator 15a assumes its operating position.

When the vending machine is at rest, the ribbon-like string of envelopes 6 partly pulled out of the magazine 9 is positioned with its upper end lying adjacent to the inlet to the upper pair of delivery rollers 10 and holding the actuator 15a of the delivery-detecting switch SWa in its raised position, as shown in FIG. 6A. The actuator 15b of the sellout-detecting switch SWb is also held in its position raised by the string of envelopes 6 to maintain the operating position of the switch SWb, as illustrated.

The electric circuit of the vending machine at this time is in the state shown in FIG. 8. In this diagram, reference character SWc indicates a coin switch which is operated by insertion of a coin into machine and held closed by the coin inserted until a payment solenoid Mg is energized; and SW1 indicates selecting switches. Where the vending machine is designed to deal with a number of kinds of cards, the card magazine and card-delivering mechanism described hereinbefore are each provided one for each kind of cards and so arranged that cards of any desired kind can be delivered by the customers pushbutton operation for closing one of the selecting switches corresponding to the kind of cards desired. Reference character X indicates a relay; Xa indicates a normally open contact of the relay X; L indicates sellout-indicating lamps; and U, V indicate power supply lines.

Under the condition of FIG. 6A, the switches SWa and SWb in the above circuit are thrown to close the righthand contacts and the relay X and indicator lamps L are cut off the line V, as illustrated in FIG. 8.

Under this condition, insertion of a coin causes the coin switch SW0 to close and subsequently, when any one of the selecting switches SW1 is depressed, a circuit is formed, including U-Xb-SWc-SWl-SWa-M-SWb-V, to start one of the card-delivering motors M which corresponds to the kind of cards desired. Thus, the upper and lower pairs of delivery rollers 10 and 11 are started simultaneously to rotate. Hereupon, the top portion of the string of envelopes 6 is fed into the upper pair of delivery rollers 10 under rotation of the lower pair of delivery rollers 11, which have been holding the ribbon 6 therebetween during the rest period of the machine. Consequently, since the upper pair of rollers 10 has a peripheral speed higher than that of the lower pair of rollers 11, as described hereinbefore, that portion of the ribbon 6 which extends between its top portion nipped by the upper rollers and the succeeding ribbon portion nipped by the lower rollers is subjected to tension such that the top string portion is severed along the adjacent perforation 8 and separately delivered through the sales or delivery aperture 18 (FIG. 1). At the same time, the actuator 15a of the delivery-detecting switch SWa is freed from the top string portion or envelope to restore to its normal position, as shown in FIG. 6B. In this manner, the relay X is inserted in series connection with the motor M and its contact Xa is closed while its contact Xb is opened. Upon closing of the relay contact Xa, the payment solenoid Mg is energized through supply lines U, V to allow the inserted coin to drop into an appropriate coin box thereby opening the coin switch SW0. The motor M is held energized until the top envelope is completely delivered, when the succeeding ribbon portion reaches the inlet to the upper pair of rollers 10 again to operate the delivery-detecting switch SWa, restoring the entire circuit to its normal state shown in FIG. 8, ready for the next selling cycle.

As described above, at the instant when the actuator 15a of the delivery-detecting switch SWa is released from the envelope, the relay contact Xb opens and the coin switch SW0 follows. Under this condition, it will be apparent that depression of any selecting switch other than the one previously operated does not cause closing of any motor circuit other than the one initially selected and thus any danger of double-selling is eliminated.

FIG. 6C illustrates the switching state when the last envelope in the string is left unsold. Subsequently, when the last envelope is delivered, both switches SWa and SWb restore to their normal position to de-energize the delivery drive motor M while energizing the sellout-indicating lamp L through the normally closed contact of the switch SWb.

Hereupon, the card magazine is replenished with another string of envelopes with cards sealed therein and the top portion of the string is directed through the guide 14 to the vicinity of the inlet to the lower pair of rollers 11, when the switch SWb is actuated to complete the circuit U-X-SWa-M-SWb-V and the motor M is started. Accordingly, the top portion of the string is advanced through the lower pair of rollers 11 and reaches the vicinity of the inlet to the upper roller pair to actuate the switch SWa in a direction to interrupt the power supply to the motor M. In this manner, the entire apparatus is re-set in the state described hereinbefore in connection with FIG. 6A.

As will be appreciated from the foregoing description, the present invention has, among others, the following advantages.

Firstly, even if cards be more or less curled or non-uniform in thickness, they can be delivered smoothly without encountering any obstruction on their way. Also, though any two or more consecutive envelopes in the folded string of envelopes stored in the magazine may stick to each other due to electrostatic charges, they cannot be delivered all at the same time because of the guide aperture arranged in the delivering mechanism, and through which the envelopes are allowed only to proceed one after another.

Secondly, since the cards are supplied sealed in envelopes individually or in separate groups and delivered in the same sealed form, they are perfectly protected from mechanical damage, contamination, discoloration and other external factors impairing their commodity value.

T hirdly, the sealing envelopes are originally joined together to form a ribbon-like string with perforations demarcating the adjacent envelopes and are severed along such perforations one after another under the tension to which the string is subjected between the two pairs of delivery rollers. This not only makes simple the entire mechanism but eliminates the need of adjusting the mechanism to accommodate dimensional errors or variations of the envelopes ordinarily occurring where a cutting knife is used to sever individual envelopes. This is due to the fact that use of perforations enables severing of envelopes along definitely specified lines.

Fourthly, the provision of an electrical control device including delivery-and sell-out detecting switches ensures an effective machine operation to deliver all the envelopes stacked including the last one while fulfilling such functions required of vending machines as prevention of double-selling and sellout indication, and facilitates prompt replenishment of envelopes.

It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that the present invention is not limited to the details set forth but various changes and modificaitons may be made Without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. A vending machine for the sale of cards or like articles arranged in a ribbon-like string of envelopes, each having at least one article sealed therein and consecutively interconnected by transverse weakened lines such as perforations for severance, comprising: a casing having a sales aperture; card storage means for accommodating said string of envelopes in a manner that said string can be pulled at one of its ends out of said card storage means; a first and a second pair of delivering rollers arranged between said card storage means and said sales aperture; drive means including an electric motor for simultaneously driving said pairs of delivery rollers; guide means for directing said string of envelopes successively through said first and second pairs of delivery rollers; electric control mean for controlling said drive means including a coin closed switch; said drive means driving said second pair of delivery rollers at a peripheral speed higher than that of said first pair of delivery rollers to apply an appropriate tension to the portion of said string of envelopes that lies between said pairs of delivery rollers and includes the foremost one of said transverse weakened lines for severing the foremost one of the envelopes lying ahead of the foremost line to be delivered exteriorly of the machine; coin receiving means for retaining a coin in switch closing position until actuated; said electrical control means including delivery detecting switch means having actuator means arranged in the vicinity of the inlet to said second pair of delivery rollers for completing a motor circuit through said coin closed switch positioned for engagement by said string of envelopes passing through said second pair of delivery rollers and for establishing, when the foremost envelope has passed out of engagement therewith through the second pair of delivery rollers, another motor circuit not including said coin closed switch to actuate said coin receiving means to release the coin while continuously energizing the drive means motor, said actuator means being engaged by the next succeeding envelope reaching the vicinity of the inlet to said second pair of delivery rollers to open said another motor circuit.

2. The vending machine according to claim 1, said electrical control means also including a sell-out indicator and sell-out detecting switch means having an actuator arranged in the vicinity of the inlet to said first pair of delivery rollers for de-energizing the drive motor while at the same time operating said sell-out indicator when all the cards have been sold; means mechanically interconnecting said sell-out detecting switch means with said delivery detecting switch means to prevent operation of said sell-out detecting switch means until the entire string of envelopes has been delivered exteriorly of the machine.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 804,307 11/1905 Fonda 225-- 2,703,048 3/ 1955 Gandert et al 225-100 X 2,887,247 5/1959 Williams 22l25 2,960,377 11/1960 Simijian 194-10 X 3,047,347 7/1962 Groves 221-25 X 3,207,366 9/1965 Feistel 19410 X SAMUEL F. COLEMAN, Primary Examiner. 

1. A VENDING MACHINE FOR THE SALE OF CARDS OR LIKE ARTICLES ARRANGED IN A RIBBON-LIKE STRING OF ENVELOPES, EACH HAVING AT LEAST ONE ARTICLE SEALED THEREIN AND CONSECUTIVELY INTERCONNECTED BY TRANSVERSE WEAKENED LINES SUCH AS PERFORATIONS FOR SEVERANCE, COMPRISING: A CASING HAVING A SALES APERTURE; CARD STORAGE MEANS FOR ACCOMMODATING SAID STRING OF ENVELOPES IN A MANNER THAT SAID STRING CAN BE PULLED AT ONE OF ITS ENDS OUT OF SAID CARD STORAGE MEANS; A FIRST AND A SECOND PAIR OF DELIVERING ROLLERS ARRANGED BETWEEN SAID CARD STORAGE MEANS AND SAID SALES APERTURE; DRIVE MEANS INCLUDING AN ELECTRIC MOTOR FOR SIMULTANEOUSLY DRIVING SAID PAIRS OF DELIVERY ROLLERS; GUIDE MEANS FOR DIRECTING SAID STRING OF ENVELOPES SUCCESSIVELY THROUGH SAID FIRST AND SECOND PAIRS OF DELIVERY ROLLERS; ELECTRIC CONTROL MEAN FOR CONTROLLING SAID DRIVE MEANS INCLUDING A COIN CLOSED SWITCH; SAID DRIVE MEANS DRIVING SAID SECOND PAIR OF DELIVERY ROLLERS AT A PERIPHERAL SPEED HIGHER THAN THAT OF SAID FIRST PAIR OF DELIVERY ROLLERS TO APPLY AN APPROPRIATE TENSION TO THE PORTION OF SAID STRING OF ENVELOPES THAT LIES BETWEEN SAID PAIRS OF DELIVERY ROLLERS AND INCLUDES THE FOREMOST ONE OF SAID TRANSVERSE WEAKENED LINES FOR SEVERING THE FOREMOST ONE OF THE ENVELOPES LYING AHEAD OF THE FOREMOST LINE TO BE DELIVERED EXTERIORLY OF THE MACHINE; COIN RECEIVING MEANS FOR RETAINING A COIN IN SWITCH CLOSING POSITION UNTIL ACTUATED; SAID ELECTRICAL CONTROL MEANS INCLUDING DELIVERY DETECTING SWITCH MEANS HAVING ACTUATOR MEANS ARRANGED IN THE VICINITY OF THE INLET TO SAID SECOND PAIR OF DELIVERY ROLLERS FOR COMPLETING A MOTOR CIRCUIT THROUGH SAID COIN CLOSED SWITCH POSITIONED FOR ENGAGEMENT BY SAID STRING OF ENVELOPES PASSING THROUGH SAID SECOND PAIR OF DELIVERY ROLLERS AND FOR ESTABLISHING, WHEN THE FOREMOST ENVELOPE HAS PASSED OUT OF ENGAGEMENT THEREWITH THROUGH THE SECOND PAIR OF DELIVERY ROLLERS, ANOTHER MOTOR CIRCUIT NOT INCLUDING SAID COIN CLOSED SWITCH TO ACTUATE SAID COIN RECEIVING MEANS TO RELEASE THE COIN WHILE CONTINUOUSLY ENERGIZING THE DRIVE MEANS MOTOR, SAID ACTUATOR MEANS BEING ENGAGED BY THE NEXT SUCCEEDING ENVELOPE REACHING THE VICINITY OF THE INLET TO SAID SECOND PAIR OF DELIVERY ROLLERS TO OPEN SAID ANOTHER MOTOR CIRCUIT. 